It May be Expensive but It's Still Second to None

As I write this editorial, I don't know who will be the next president or what will be in store for this country relative to healthcare. I do know that each presidential nominee has a unique plan that will impact our lives in different ways. And while I agree that there are some issues concerning our current healthcare system, I cannot accept the idea that national health insurance mandated by the government is the answer to our problems.

Over the past several years, I've traveled extensively throughout the world and I can honestly say that I've yet to meet a person covered by national health insurance that thinks it is a good deal. Yet, if we pick up a newspaper or turn on the radio or television, we are led to believe that a governmentbacked healthcare system is the only answer to our problems.

Personally, I think it would be a disaster to have a government-funded and government-managed healthcare system in the U.S. I can't argue against the fact that our medical costs are high, but our medical expertise is even higher and ranked second to none on a worldwide basis.

Personally, I find it troublesome when a leading U.S. health policy expert from Harvard Medical School writes that Canada's publicly-funded health insurance program known as "Medicare" is one of the best healthcare systems in the world. I can only surmise that this individual would be happier living under Canadian law and paying the monthly premium and associated taxes only to wait eight to nine hours to see a doctor in an emergency room, or even worse, to wait nine to ten months for something as routine as a hip or knee replacement. I'm sure this Harvard scholar could even justify the existing needle exchange program that provides free-of-charge clean needles and syringes to drug users while Canadian citizens must pay for diabetic supplies such as syringes based on insurance assessments that vary from province to province.

The fact is that the Canadian publicly-funded health insurance program is being threatened by government underfunding. And it doesn't take a Harvard MBA to provide the solution. No doubt, it will be in the form of tax, tax and more tax.

Furthermore, if a health system such as this is superior to what we currently have in the U.S., I think it is fair to ask why there is a movement to partially privatize it in Canada. It is also fair to ask why Canadians are willing to cross the border into the U.S. for much-needed surgery, as do many others from around the world seeking specialized treatment at facilities like the Cleveland Clinic and/or the Mayo Clinic.

We can't allow ourselves to get duped into believing socialized medical systems out-weigh privatization plans. It happened in Hawaii less than a year ago, when legislators approved a publiclyfunded healthcare system to ensure every child gets basic medical attention. Today, approximately seven months later, the program has been eliminated due to budget shortfalls.

My father often told me, "If it's too good to be true, don't buy into it." These are great words to live by, especially in today's political environment.